The Seekers
by Thisisredpanda-kun
Summary: 16th century Europe AU: Within the merchant classes, rumours of phantom pirates sinking multiple merchant ships were spread as cautionary tales. When Peter Kirkland, the heir to Kirkland Trade, is sent overseas to on a business trip, he would have expected his life to be turned upside down when he befriends unusual people on llow Peter as he uncovers...more details inside
1. details & prologue

**Full synopsis**

Human Alternative Universe: 16th century Europe. Within the merchant classes, rumours of phantom pirates sinking multiple merchant ships were spread as cautionary tales. When Peter Kirkland, the heir to Kirkland Trade, is sent overseas to on a business trip, he would never have expected his life to be turned upside down when he befriends unusual people on board. Follows Peter as he uncovers hidden truths about his world.

**Warning**: There may be mention of uncomfortable topics covered in this story such as prostitution and child abuse as well as some gory scenes. If you are uncomfortable about these sorts of things, please do not read it. I will try my best keep it to the bare minimum since even I felt a bit out of my comfort zone myself while planning this story.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters from Hetalia.

* * *

**Prologue**

The flames burned brightly on a large burning ship, covering the moonless sky with clouds of dark smoke above the calm seawater. Small flames frolicked silently on the decks of the ship and continued up its mast, burning the large sails along with it. The dark flag that once stood proudly atop the grand ship was greedily consumed by the flames. The night's silence continued, as though mourning for the loss of the great ship.

Beneath the burning deck, the small flames lit the dark halls towards a small sleeping quarter ahead. It's softflickers revealed a boy standing atthe end of the hall with his head down. The boy's curly dark brown bangs covered his sad green eyes. He stared silently at the wooden floor of the ship, as he listened to the quiet weeping of a small child within the sleeping quarter.

The small firessurrounding the room revealed the child, who was kneeling in the far end of the room. His back was towards the entry and his soft cries could be heard over the quiet crackling fire. Behind the child's heaving back lied the motionless body of a man, whose head was on the child's lap. The man had a shaggy beard that covered most of his face. His long scarlet coat and large red hat had fallen to the ground beside the child, revealing the man's short dark ginger hair.

The boy lifted his head and slowly approached the child, who continued to cry. The boy placed his hand gently on the child's shoulder with an understanding smile. He then gestured for the child to follow him out. The child wiped his tears away and stood up, placing the man's head softly down on the floor. The child kept his head down, trying to hide his tear-stained face under his short blond bangs as he followed the boy out of the burning room and into the flame-filled hallway. The fire was slowly burning through the deck floor as the boy led the child through the hallway. When they reached the deck, the boy held the child tightly in his arms and jumped into the dark sea water below.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**_13 years later_**

"Oh... wow….!" Peter exclaimed, his baby-blue eyes widening with fascination and surprise as the carriage drew near the port. The summer sky stretched out before the 12-year-old boy. Water sparkled like stars on the blue sea that seemed to stretch forever. The summer wind carried a whiff of the salty seawater. It was an amazing experience for the young boy, his first time near the sea.

Peter was prepared to jump out of the carriage as soon as it came to stop, when a white-gloved hand touched his shoulder signalling for him to stop. Peter turned toward the touch with a frown. A woman who was sitting beside him gave the boy a disapproving look. She was wearing a long scarlet dress that dragged along the carriage floor and wore a big hat, adorned with a large red rose.

"What do you think you're doing, young man?!" the women asked severely.

Peter just rolled his eyes and turned again to face the window with a bored expression, resting his chin on his woman's face was now furious, her blue eyes blazing with anger.

"What did you do just now, young man?" The tone of her voice matched the fury on her face.

Peter simply sat back down and stuck his tongue out at her before slouching on his seat, causing his golden-lined coat to tighten uncomfortably on his chest.

The woman sitting across from him was his aunt, Sophia Kirkland, the wife of the famous, James Kirkland. His family was quite talented in their field of trade, namely fashion. The Kirklands were also recognized for raising well-behaved, well-mannered and talented children, and would do anything to keep that reputation. Free-spirited Peter was the odd one out. His aunt and other family members would constantly tell him that he was a disobedient, insolent and disgraceful child.

"Why is this child the next heir to our family?" Sophia groaned, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "It's not like I wanted it!" Peter scowled at his aunt, his thick brows knitting together in anger. The woman gave the boy a short glare before she shook her head and let out a defeated sigh. She rubbed her forehead in frustration, muttering, "What to do with this boy?" Peter gave a triumphant smile in return. After all, it was their fault for choosing him to be heir, even though he was not part of the main family.

Peter's branch of the family was supposed to beblessed with talented and gifted children. Thus, the branch's first-born male would be raised by the main family to inherit the Kirkland's business and wealth. As a result, Peter was raisedstrictly by his aunt, despite not having much talents with trade.

Peter was often told stories about an elder brother who was once the heir to the trade. He had never met this brother of his. However, his aunt would speak very fondly of him, constantly describing him as being "quite the well-mannered and charming lad". Peter was told that, unfortunately, his brother had passed away while on his first solo overseas trade voyage. As a result, it was decided that Peter was to inherit his deceased brother's title. Peter has always suspected that his elder brother was a very boring person and was to blame for Peter's life's misfortunes.

Sophia gave another frustrated sigh before composing herself. The anger on her face quickly dissolved into a small smile. Shestraightened her back. Peter obediently followed her example. He knew it was his final chance. The last time he had tried to rebel against his aunt, he suffered a series of beating and was left with an empty stomach the next day. He had sworn to himself, that he was not going to go through it again, especially on his overseas trip. The woman smiled contently at the boy's behaviour. However, it did not last long. Her smile quickly vanished and was replaced by a serious expression.

"Now, I want you to be on your best behaviour," said his aunt as her blue eye met his, demanding his undivided attention. Peter nodded, his expression mirroring hers. "Be careful at sea all right? There have been incidents where pirates are robbing ships and kidnapping young ones. I want you to stay in your chamber at all costs, do you hear me?" The young boy blinked in surprise at his aunt's concern for him. He had rarely ever seen her concerned for his wellbeing.

His aunt gave him a smirk as she proceeded to get out of the carriage and added, "We wouldn't want you to be getting hurt, would we now?", to which Peter added in his thoughts, "_Since you are going to be representing the Kirklands."_Snorting at the thought, Peter nodded begrudgingly,

trying his hardest to ignore the fact that his aunt had been irritating him all morning. He has been trying his best to keep his mouth shut the entire ride and was determined not to risk his time away from his aunt for such a trivial matter. Rolling his eyes at her superficial gesture of kindness, Peter took her outstretched hands as she helped him out of the carriage. Peter knew that the words he wanted to spout would cost him his long-awaited freedom, so he kept quiet once again. After all, he had already planned to run around and explore the ship, enjoying his freedom.

Peter could feel a warm gush of the morning's salty air as he came out of the carriage. He couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent sea view ahead. A grand ship was anchored near the port with its large cloud-white sails, fluttering slightly on the ship's main mast. Peter stares in fascination at all the cargos that were piled around the crowded docking area.

The hushed tones of his aunt jolted Peter out his daze. Turning toward the whispers, he saw his aunt talking to a man a short distance away. The man had a large muscular build, and, despite the beautifully warm weather, was wearing a long tan Spanish cape that covered nearly his entire body. The cape was nearly invisible against the light-brown cargo behind him. A closer look revealed a scar near his left eye, which was covered by a hat that matched his cape. The man's untamed dark beard covered the rest of his face, not hidden by the hat. Peter's aunt would look around every now and then, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, before turning back to the conversation. With the distance between them and the chattering of the crowd, Peter was not able to make out what the two were talking about. "_Not like I care about business anyways," _Peter shrugged. He then snuck slowly away to explore.

Once he got further away from his aunt's location, Peter scrolled around the area, examining every detail of the over-crowded dock. Some of the wooden boxes seemed to be stacked as high as the Tower of London, near where he lived with his aunt. Others were piled up precariously.

The docking area was also crowded with people. Many people carrying wooden cargo passed by Peter as he continued his adventure through the maze of people and stacked boxes. Some carried small piles of boxes, but many were struggling to carry boxes that seemed too big for them to manage. Peter was running under one of the long cargo boxes carried by two men, when he crashed into something and fell hard.

"Whoa! Careful there, little buddy!" A cheerful voice said. Peter looked up to see a young man with muddy-blond hair. He was wearing the same thin white shirt and black pants as the surrounding workers. The man gave Peter a toothy smile before offering his hand to help Peter up. His bright blue eyes regarded Peter with interest.

Peter was about to thank him when loud murmurs were heard at the distance, causing the man to turn towards the commotion. He turned back to Peter and gave him a goofy grin before cheerfully saying, "See ya around!". The man began slowly walking towards a group of labourers who had formed a circle around a gigantic cargo. His hands slid into his pockets as he leisurely walked away, leaving behind a confused Peter. The horn signalled the departure of the ship and Peter realized that the dock was now nearly empty. With his golden-lined coat waving in the wind, he raced towards the ship, marking the beginning of his adventure at sea.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The moon shone brightly in the starlit sky, illuminating the dark seawater below. The grand merchant ship drifted slowly on the gentle tide and wind. The enchanting white moonlight shone through the white sails, lighting them up like glowing lanterns. On the deck of said ship, a couple of sailors, armed with cutlasses, were on patrol and ready to defend the ship from any possible attacks. Some stood where they were, narrowing their eyes at the dark horizon in front of them, while other paced slowly on the deck, constantly turning their heads left and right, cautiously. The sailors continued their patrol as the ship drifted slowly towards their destination.

Below the heavily guarded deck, Peter stared blankly up to the wooden ceiling as he laid in bed with his jacket folded in his arm. He could hear laughter and cheering of the sailors in the next room. He could even hear music too. Peter sighed annoyed at the fact that he was confined to his room when everyone else was having fun.

He would have loved to have explored the ship as soon as he had boarded. But his presence seemed to have immediately caught the attention of many of the other passengers. Men and women wearing variety of coloured outfits and gown had started towards him. They had surrounded him and talked simultaneously. Peter had begun to feel slightly dizzy from trying to differentiate their voices. They had all been staring at his golden coat; some had even reached out to touch it. Peter had tried to answer all their questions, but more questions seemed to arise from each answer. Feeling extremely overwhelmed, Peter had excused himself by saying he had some unpacking to do. He had run down the stairs and into the closest room he could find. As he ran, he could hear disapproving murmurs from the crowd behind. Peter had locked himself in the room ever since.

As the noise began to die down in the neighbouring rooms, Peter saw an opportunity to finally sneak out. He jumped out of his bed, threw the golden jacket on the wooden floor and rushed to the door. He put his ear to the door, listening for anyone who would prevent him from his long-awaited quest to explore the ship. All was quiet. Rubbing his hands together with contentment, he slowly turned the door knob. He cautiously opened the door a crack and peeked out, looking around for potential guards.

_"__Yay! There's no one outside!" _ Peter thought gleefully. "_Now I can explore this old ship with no distractions!"_

He continued out the door, careful not to make a sound as he crept slowly down the hall. There were torches lining the hallway, casting a creepy orange-red glow. The flames flickering slightly, giving the dark hallway a haunted feeling. The sounds of laughter in the neighbouring rooms grew gradually softer as he passed them. _ It almost seemed like hell. _Peter shivered at the thought while staring down at the wooden floor nervously.

As he kept walking down the hellish hall, Peter bumped into something hard. He instinctively closed his eyes. As he slowly opened them again, he noticed that a pair of bright olive-green eyes were staring straight into his. The eyes belonged to a brown-haired man who was crouching down in front of him. The man's innocent and curious look faded slowly into a kind smile when as Peter looked at the man.

"I'm glad you're all right," said the man as he reached out a tanned hand to ruffle Peter's hair.

"S-s-sorry, I b-bumped into y-you," Peter stuttered nervously. He had never seen someone reacted in this way when he bumped into them, so he was slightly taken aback by the man's reaction. The man gave a hearty laugh as he ruffled Peter's hair once more.

"It's quite all right," he said chuckling. It was then that Peter noticed that the man's words held a slight accent. "You're not from England?" Peter blurted before covering his mouth in embarrassment. His face became flushed as he realized that he was being rude to the stranger. Despite being a rebellious child, Peter knew his manners. Furthermore, he knew that if he was polite to others, people tended to treat him with more kindness. He doesn't want even people he hardly knew to think poorly of him, as his aunt and other family members already did.

The man gave a small chuckle as Peter muttered "Sorry" like a mantra under his breath. Peter opened his eyes, which he hadn't realise were closed, and saw that the man had stood up and was looking down at him. "It's quite all right," the man repeated softly, as he smiled sympathetically.

The man held one of his hands out to Peter and asked, "Would you like to talk with me for a while?" His kind smile never left his face. Peter was once again taken aback by the man's kindness. He hesitantly took the man's hand and then squeezed it tightly.

The man began leading Peter down the hallway, grasping Peter's small hands gently and securely. The man began talking about his Spanish accent, explaining that he was raised in Spain as a child. Soon, Peter began to ask about his home country. Peter felt the passage's once disturbing atmosphere slowly ebbing away as the lighthearted conversation filled the flame-lit hall.

The torched light became warm rather than threatening, as it illuminated the otherwise unwelcoming darkness at the end of the hall. The once ominous laughter in the other rooms became more joyful with every step. Unbeknownst to Peter, the man was smiling softly to himself when he saw the boy's eyes sparkled with joy and excitement as he shared some of his most cherished memories of his parents.

Peter turned to the man and gave him a grateful smile, one that he had not had since he started living with his aunt. He said, "Thank you! I haven't met someone as kind as you in long time!" He had never been treated this kindly by strangers before, especially since he started living away from his parents. The man stopped and his eyes widened with shock before chuckling nervously.

The man slowly let go of Peter's hand. Peter saw that the man bent on his knees and was facing Peter eye to eye. "I'm Antonio, by the way," the man said smiling. "Antonio Fernández Carriedo." Peter looked at the man, flabbergasted by his sudden introduction. Antonio's eyes were clouded with a hint of nostalgia when Peter took his hand, stuttering his own introduction awkwardly.

It was after these introductions that Peter noticed that they were back at the room he had left earlier and realized that the man had been trying to escort him back to his own room the entire time. Peter turned from Antonio to the door of the room, frowning.

"Why did you bring me here?" Peter finally asked, irritated by the fact he was back to where he started. It was clear from Antonio's expression that he was wondering why Peter would ask him such a question. "Because it's your room?" Antonio answered, tilting his head to the side questioningly. Innocence showed in his eyes. His response, unfortunately, made Peter even more irritated.

"But I wanted to explore the ship!" Peter protested. "I wasn't able to the whole day!" Antonio chuckled. He smiled kindly. "Then you can do it in the morning," reasoned Antonio. "It won't be as scary as it would be at night." Realizing that Antonio has noticed his fear of the dark, Peter flushed with embarrassment. "But… but…." Peter said stubbornly.

Antonio let out a defeated sigh before he said, "All right, you can explore the ship tonight…" A small smile crossed his face as he saw Peter smiled triumphantly before starting back in the same direction they came from.

"But! With one exception…." The sudden seriousness in Antonio's voice surprised Peter and stopped him in his tracks. He turned back to the man and discovered that he had a stern expression on his face, as opposed to his usual smiles.

"Just**don't **go into the room on the right end of the hall," Antonio continued when he saw he had Peter 's attention. Antonio's stern expression didn't last long. He added smiling, "You can go anywhere else, though." Peter nodded absentmindedly at him as Antonio proceeded down the hall, ruffling Peter's hair as he passed by.

As Antonio made his way down the hall, Peter stood in the passageway, staring blankly as the smiling man entered one of the rooms. When he finally snapped out of his trance, Peter realized that he was standing alone once again. He continued to stand in the flame-lit hallway while staring at the dark abyss ahead. This time however, he was no longer scared. Instead, there was an excitement in his eyes. His lips curled into a mischievous smirk as he stared down the hall. "_Maybe, we'll go see that room…."_

He looked again, making sure that there wasn't anyone in the hall. By now, all the sound in hall had long died down, boosting Peter's growing confidence. All was silent except for a small indistinct sound coming from somewhere down the hall. Peter strained his ears a bit more until he could hear the faint smacking sound. He shivered as the memories of being beaten himself began to resurface.

However, this fear did not deter him. He cautiously took a step down the hall. Slowly but methodically, one step then the next. The sound gradually grew louder as Peter crept closer to the door near the end of the hall. He began to make out the sound of sinister laughter and muffled screams. As Peter approached, the short-lived carefree atmosphere quickly turned darker and ominous.

When Peter reached the end of the hall, it opened out to two rooms, one to the left and another to right. Between the two closed doors was a stairway that led down to yet another torch-lit hallway. The room to the left of the stairway had a sign that reads "Doctor's Office". It had a warm and welcoming feel to it. The brown door and the surrounding area was illuminated by a small lamp that hung above the sign.

In contrast, the door to the right was shrouded in shadows. The only light that shone was the light beneath the closed door. Peter turned at the right corner at the end of the hallway. He winced slightly as he heard a sound of a sword being unsheathed and a small snicker. Peter approached the door slowly, trying his best to keep to the shadows.

Suddenly, Peter felt a hand on his left shoulder. He was about to let out a yelp when another hand was placed on his mouth to silence him. "Calm down…" Said a soothing voice. Peter obeyed the voice and released the tension in his shoulder. When the hand was removed from his mouth, he slowly breathed in and out, calming himself down further. Once he was completely calm, the voice spoke again.

"I would go back to my room if I were you," whispered an unfamiliar male voice. "It would not be pleasant if you were to be caught." When Peter turned around, the owner of the voice had already disappeared, leaving only the sound of slow footsteps descending the stairs.

The sounds in the room had now stopped. It was silent except for the sound of the heavy footsteps that were approaching the door. The door slowly opened, casting light and long shadows out into the hall. Feeling the danger, Peter decided to heed the warning of Antonio and the mysterious man and began to walk in the direction of his room as quickly as possible. His fast-paced walking soon quickened into a jog, and then a run as he heard the sound of rapid footsteps following closely behind. When he reached the door to his room, he quickly reached out to turn the knob without looking behind him. As soon as the door opened, Peter felt his body collapse onto the wooden floor as everything around him turned black.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"__Though the stars…cannot reach you from afar,."__sang a soft voice._

_"I heard this song before…"__Peter thought, as he continued listening to the familiar singing. _

_"It's mum's lullaby…" However, the singing voice was not his mum's, for the song was sang in a soft tenor instead of his mother's usual alto._

_"Though the tides of fate may guide you to great distance, where my voice may no longer reach you,__I hope this song will accompany…" the voice continued singing, as Peter felt himself snuggle closer to the owner of the voice. Despite not being mum, this person reminded him of his mother, gentle and caring._

_"… bringing…. back those… youthful days.." The soft tenor voice began to fade slowly into a background of bright white light. "Who are you?"__Peter asked as he strained to see the person's face, which was obscured by a beam of bright light. The person did not respond. Instead, the image began to slowly fade into the bright background._

Peter began to sense a warm feeling on his eyelids, causing him to begin blink his eyes open. As his eyes slowly adjust to his surrounding, last night's event began to flood back to him. Bewildering thoughts flooded Peter's head as he jumped up from where he had been laying, causing a slight dizziness in his head. _ "Where am I? I didn't get caught, did I? What should I do?! What should I do?!" _He thought while trying to suppress the rising panic.

When the dizziness subsided, Peter found himself on a bed. After a quick survey of his surroundings, he discovered that he was back in his room on the ship. The sunlight shone on the night table beside his bed. A warm breeze blew into the room from the small curtained window, carrying the sea's fresh and salty scent. The morning was calm, and the distant crying of gulls and the soft thrashing of the tides could be heard.

Peter slipped out of his bed and began to wonder if last night's events had been a dream. While slowly making his way to the door, Peter's mind turned to his unusual dream. He continued down the hall towards the stairs leading to the deck. "_Hmm… I wonder who that person is…"_Peter pondered as he slowly made his way up to the deck. How did this person know his mum's lullaby, the one she had sung to him when he was young.

The seagulls' cries grew louder as Peter continued up the stairs and onto the deck. He winced slightly at the blinding light ahead. The sun had already risen high in the blue sky, telling Peter that he had slept through most of the morning. Fluffy white cloud drifted across the endless blues that stretch before Peter. He looked up in wonder at the gulls that were gliding gracefully high above the ship's white sails. The gulls' cries were accompanied by the lap of the tides against the magnificent ship as it slowly made its way towards its destination.

Looking around the near empty deck, Peter spotted a hand waving at him. Peter recognized the waving figure; it was the man he had bumped into on the dock yesterday. The man continued to wave as though he wanted Peter to join him. Peter ran towards the man as fast as he could. He slowed down as he drew closer to the man, before sliding to a stop in front of him. Peter was panting heavily after the run.

"You okay, little buddy?" said the man in his cheerful tone. "yeah… I'm all…. right…." Peter said, between breaths.

"As long as you are okay!" The man said cheerfully, giving him a toothy smile. Peter looked up at the man, surprised at his concern. The man stared at Peter, clearly wondering about the boy's reaction as he tapped his finger on his cheek thoughtfully.

"Hmm… Is it because I didn't introduce myself last time?" The man asked, seemingly to himself. "Yep! That's got to be it!" Peter giggled as the man pretended to clear his throat. He then bent down to Peter's height to introduce himself.

"Hi! I'm Alfred!" the man said cheerfully, giving Peter another toothy smile. "Nice to meetcha!" Putting his hand out for a handshake, Alfred looked at Peter expectedly. "Kirkland… Peter Kirkland," said Peter, reaching his hand to grab Alfred's.

Peter reached for his hand but Alfred retracted it before Peter was able to grasp it. Peter looked, confused, but the man just shrugged and gave him an oblivious smile. Peter reached out once more, only to miss again. Puzzled, he looked at Alfred, who continued to shrug and smile at him. But this time, he opened and closed his palm, as if challenging Peter to grab his hand. Peter attempted a third time a little faster, missing his target by a faction of a second.

That was when Peter noticed the mischievous glint in Alfred's eyes. He frowned at Alfred's hand. "What are you trying here?" Peter growled, narrowing his eye suspiciously. He glanced once more at Alfred to see the man… pouting?

"Come on… why not have a little fun?" Alfred whined, making the pouting face more exaggerated. "Why so serious?"

Peter suddenly realized that he had introduced himself in the same old boring way that his aunt had always trained him. Peter lowered his head, hiding a smirk as he secretly observed Alfred's childish expression turned from playful to confusion. He then reached out his hand and smacked Alfred's hand.

"This is what you get for messing with me! Peter Kirkland!" He shouted as he ran away, leaving behind a shocked Alfred with his mouth agape and eyes wide open in surprise. Only after Peter had reached the other side of the ship, did he turned to look at Alfred, finding that he was still in the same position with his back to Peter. He was crouching silently and looking down at his reddened palm. Alfred remained in this position for a while before quietly snickering to himself. The snickering quickly evolved into hysterical laughter, as he struggled to stand up.

As Peter silently watched from the other side, Alfred slowly turned towards him. There was a glint in Alfred's eye that told Peter that he should run. He instantly obeyed his instinct and ran as if his life depended on it. As soon as Peter turned to run, Alfred's footsteps followed closely behind him. Peter immediately quickened his pace and ran around the deck, turning every once in a while, to taunt the man. Alfred growled in frustration as he missed Peter by a hair.

After running for a while, Peter turned around again to find that Alfred was nowhere to be seen. Peter was smiling triumphantly when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was astonished to see Alfred grabbing his shoulder while panting rapidly. When Alfred finally looked up after catching his breath, he smiled widely at Peter. His blue eyes were shining with triumph as he declared, "Gotcha!"

After some more rounds of tag, the two decided to call it a draw and relax. Alfred took a seat near the captain's cabin while Peter stood at the side of the ship, looking out at the sea. By this time, the sun had risen higher in the sky. The cries of gulls continued above and the quiet lapping of the waves could be heard below. Sunlight shone on the surface of the water and shimmered into the distant.

Putting his head on his arms, Peter gazed out towards the horizon where the sky and ocean meet and sighed longingly. He missed his parents more than he ever had in the past since he knew that he was heading to unknown land. His aunt hadn't told him where he was going, except that this was a business trip. He didn't even know if he would be able to return home.

As Peter continued to look out over the water, he didn't notice that Alfred was staring at him from the shade where he sat. With a soft chuckle, the man began to walk slowly towards the boy. As he walked by Peter's head, he softly ruffled his hair. Peter looked up to see that Alfred's gaze was on the view ahead. Alfred's lips were drawn upwards in a small smile and his eyes appeared to be sparkling as they reflected the sparkling water. The depths of his eyes however, appeared to be clouded with nostalgia as he continued to gaze out at the sea.

"You know…" Peter murmured softly, still gazing out at the water. "I miss home…" He smiled softly as he continued looking out at the horizon. "I want to see my mum and dad again."

"Must be nice….. to have a place to call home" Alfred muttered quietly, more to himself than to Peter. Surprised, Peter turned to look at his companion. Seeing that Alfred's smile had remained unchanged by the comment, he turned his gaze back to the sea.

The two continued their silent reminiscence when they heard soft footsteps approaching from behind. Alfred was the first to turn towards the footsteps while Peter peered over his shoulder at the stranger, a man with similar features to Alfred.

The man's wavy blond hair was slightly longer than Alfred's, reaching his shoulder. A curl hung in front of his unusual violet-coloured eyes. He was wearing clothing similar a priest's, a long white-collared black shirt that reached the floor. He was also wearing a wooden cross around his neck. When the man noticed Peter, he smiled kindly at him. He reached his pale hands to gently pat Peter's head. The man, who radiated a gentle kindness, smiled as he softly and introduced himself as "Matthew Williams Bonnefoy."

When Matthew stood up, Peter gazed in wonder at the two men who were now standing beside one another. "Wow… You two look so much alike…." Realizing that he had said this aloud, Peter was flustered at his rude behaviour. He covered his mouth with his hands and blushed with embarrassment. The two men laughed at the boy's reaction, brushing it off as if it was nothing to about.

"You see… Mattie here is my twin," said Alfred, wearing a proud smile. "And he's the best doctor in the world!" Matthew rubbed the back of his own head, flushing at the compliment. He was smiling nervously before adding, "I'm just an ordinary doctor…"

"What do you mean ordinary?! You became a freaking doctor at the age of 10!" exclaimed Alfred, patting Matthew heartily on the back, nearly knocking the poor man over. "Ya telling me yer not the best?!"

However, Peter was not listening. When Alfred mentioned that Matthew was a doctor, Peter was brought back to the memories of the previous night. Remembering that there was a doctor's office near the other terrifying room, he began shivering in fear and panic as the memories flooded back. The sound of a sword unsheathing, horrifying screams, and the sound of menacing laughter followed one after the other. Trying to clear his mind, he shook his head but found Matthew was looking down at him with concern while Alfred stared at Peter in confusion.

"You okay, dude?" Alfred said, raising his eyebrow questioningly. "Are you so shocked by my baby brother's amazingness that you became speechless?" He asked with a loud laugh. In response, Matthew flicked his twin brother on the forehead with his finger, which resulted in Alfred dramatically doubling over in exaggerated pain while whining, "What did you do that for, Mattie?!"

Mathew ignored his brother's performance and bent down to Peter. Matthew frowned slightly and muttered something about "breathing" and "shaky body". Confused, Peter looked at him, wondering if something was wrong. He was about to open his mouth to ask when Matthew smiled once more.

"Glad you're feeling better now, Peter," Matthew said, smiling sympathetically. "Is there something that you want to talk about with me?" Peter stared at the young doctor in surprise which caused the man to chuckle softly. "I'm a doctor and it's my job to look out for unsuspecting patients," he said while gently patting Peter once more on the head. _So, there are such thing as kind people in the world, _Peter thought.

Peter began revealing the events from the previous night. He started with how he had snuck out and bumped into Antonio. He described the events in detail, including the noises he had heard and how he had ended up waking up in his bed his own bed after fainting near the door of his room. Matthew frowned every once a while concentrating on the story. Even Alfred who was originally sulking had stopped his histrionics and became interested in Peter's story.

When Peter finished recapping the events, he was surprised to find that the twins were reacting in very different ways. Matthew had a serious expression, frowning as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. Alfred's expression, however, was thoughtful. He was tapping his pointer finger on his cheek. There was brief silence within the group as each member was trying to wrap his head around the mysterious events. Suddenly, Matthew broke the silence and exclaimed, "Oh right!".

Matthew's sudden exclamation surprised Peter but Alfred looked unfazed. He raised his brow at his brother, expressing his annoyance as if saying _"really?_". Matthew walked closer to Alfred and whispered something.

While his brother continued whispering in his ear, Alfred's expression changed dramatically. His expressions transformed from annoyance to surprise and finally to his usual smile. Alfred would nod every once in a while, as his brother continued to whisper in his ear. When Matthew was finished, the two nodded at each other in mutual understanding. They then turned towards Peter.

Matthew smiled at Peter before excusing him and his brother. Giving the boy a gentle pat on the head, he turned to leave. Alfred was about to follow his brother when Peter tugged on his shirt to catch Alfred's attention.

"What are you doing, leaving without telling me what's going on?" Peter whispered, furiously. "Well! Mattie and I are going to solve this ship's mystery!" exclaimed Alfred, giving Peter a smile. Peter gritted his teeth in frustration before hissing, "I want to solve it too!"

"Alfred! Are you coming?" Matthew's voice shouted from near the stairs entrance. "Coming in a sec, Mattie!" Alfred shouted back before turning to Peter once more. His eyes were still sparkled with mischief as he declared, "We're going to hunt for ghosts!"

"Alfred! Are you coming?" Matthew's voice shouted from near the stairs entrance. "Coming in a sec, Mattie!" Alfred shouted back before turning to Peter once more. His eyes were still sparkled with mischief as he declared, "We're going to hunt for ghosts!"

Shunned by Alfred's announcement, Peter froze. When he finally snapped out of the shock, he had missed his chance to stop Alfred from making his way to his brother. Peter turned towards where the brothers were leaving. Waving his hand at Peter, Alfred shouted, "You might find a new place to call home soon!" before following suit with Matthew, disappearing down the stairs. Peter blinked in surprise before turning back to look at the sea and giving out a drawn-out sigh. A bittersweet smile crossed his face as he whispered, "if only…. if only….", to the faraway horizon.

Shunned by Alfred's announcement, Peter froze. When he finally snapped out of the shock, he had missed his chance to stop Alfred from making his way to his brother. Peter turned towards where the brothers were leaving. Waving his hand at Peter, Alfred shouted, "You might find a new place to call home soon!" before following suit with Matthew, disappearing down the stairs. Peter blinked in surprise before turning back to look at the sea and giving a drawn-out sigh. A bittersweet smile crossed his face as he whispered, "if only…. if only….", to the faraway horizon.

* * *

The sun was sinking lower and lower into the horizon with each passing minute, as the orange-red sky slowly faded into a dark indigo. Sailors began to file up the stairs onto the deck, once again with cutlasses. This time however, they were not as wary as the night before. Many of the younger sailors chatting lively amongst themselves. The older ones were covering up their yawns as they walked lazily to their assigned positions. Yawning every once and while, a grey, bushy-bearded sailor slowly made his way up the tower that rose high above the deck.

_Ugh! Another night of guard duty! _The sailor thought begrudgingly as he continued up the lookout area. _Those upper-class snobs! Acting all high and mighty! We know the importance of guarding the ship but to force almost all of us to do this every single night is just ridiculous! They just can't get it into their heads, w'all need our rest too! We already told them that those thieves haven't come last night so there won't be any tonight either! Those drunken fools! Taking our services for granted!_

The older sailor continued his internal rant as he got up to the lookout area before slumping his aching back against the sides of small circular space. He kept his position for a while before reaching into his pocket to pull out a golden telescope.

_Well, all I have to do now is just be on a lookout for those black flags,_thought the sailor as he let out a tired grunt. Standing up, he began scanning the area with his telescope.

The sun was already setting low in the sky, leaving only a small portion of the sky orange. The stars were becoming increasingly apparent against the darkening sky with each passing second. The eastern winds blew roughly against the ship's sails, forcing the ship off its original course. Several experienced sailors quickly worked to release the anchor, which slowed the ship to a halt. When the ship came to a stop, some of the sailors began climbing up the mast to take the sails down.

From his lookout point, the bushy-bearded sailor could make out a silhouette of some land ahead. It was rather small for a piece of land yet too big to be called an island. By the time the ship halted, the man's telescope had made out a dense forest on the small land.

Suddenly, something was moving out from the shadow of the forest, bobbing its way towards the ship. The sailor lowered his telescope in shock. _Impossible! It can't be..._the elderly man thought, shaking slightly with fear. He grabbed his golden telescope once more, putting it over his left eye to confirm.

As the massive object came closer and closer to the ship, the shadows began to morph into the shape of a ship. The old man quickly shifted his view toward the ship's bow. He zoomed in on to the top of the mast where a red flag with a golden lion waved proudly. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was not the flag that he had dreaded. _Good! It's just another folk's ship… _

But, hearing the crews concerned murmurs below, he knew that something was wrong. When he returned his attention to the approaching ship, he saw that it had already drawn much closer to their ship and was now only minutes away.

The elderly sailor watched in horror as the red flag was pulled down from its place and was replaced with a different and very familiar flag. _No… No! It can't be!… It just can't be! _The sailor thought as he watched the new flag climb steadily up the pole. The terrified voices of his crew members mixed with one another and grew indistinct among all the shouting.

He was barely able to make out his own quivering voice against the loud beating of his heart, "Th…th…the pirates are here!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The sky had already turned a dark indigo, with the remaining sunlight slowly disappearing into the faraway horizon. The cool night's breeze blew into Peter's room through the window as he lay his back on his bed. He was staring up at the wooden ceiling above with sadness in his eyes. The only light shining in the room was a small oil lamp on the night table by Peter's bed. Its wavering light radiated around the room, casting long shadows on the wooden wall. Peter continued to stare up at the ceiling as Alfred's words echoed in his mind. _"Must be nice….. to have a place to call home…." _

Ever since Alfred and his brother had left him alone on the deck, he had been feeling more and more homesick. He began to wonder if he would see his hometown again, or any land at all. He wanted to go home where his mum would sing the lullaby as he slept on her lap, and where his father would smile warmly at him as he tucked Peter in his bed. Gosh! He even started to miss his aunt's harsh scolding. _I miss home… _Peter thought longingly. He began to hum the tune of his mum's lullaby as he continued to stare at the wooden ceiling above. The humming soon changed into words, as warm memories filled his mind and heart.

_"Though the stars may be faraway, though I cannot reach you from afar, I will always stay with you by your side with this song." A beautiful woman, wearing a green dress with small golden designs lining the edge, came into Peter's view as she sat on the edge of Peter's bed singing softly. A young Peter snuggled closer to the woman as she put her hand on Peter's hair, touching it gently and affectionately._

_"Though the tides of fate may guide you to great distance, where my voice may no longer reach you," the women continued singing as she caressed Peter's hair. She tucked a bit of Peter's stray hair behind his ear as he tried to blink sleep from his eyes._

_"I hope this song will accompany you," the women teasingly touched the tip of his nose, causing young Peter to twitch and wrinkled his face. They heard a small chuckle behind them. Turning towards the source, they saw a man with darker blond hair than theirs were leaning against the door. A loving smile spread across his face as he walked towards the pair. The woman returned his smile and returned to her singing._

_"Through the hard times ahead, drying many tears, bringing back those youthful days.__This song may be the last you'll hear from me but let us look to the brighter days ahead!" The man rested a hand gently on the woman's shoulder as the small boy continued fight to keep his eyes open. The women placed a hand over Peter's eyes and slowly lulled the small boy to sleep with her soft singing. "I hope this song convey….words… hopeful days…."_

Peter felt something warm trickling down his cheek. He realized that it was his own tears. He tried to wipe the tears away with his sleeves but they continued to flow. _Ugh! Stop crying already! You're a man, aren't you?! _Peter thought with frustration._You can't disappoint mum and dad now! You will only bring them more shame than you already have. _However, the tears continued to stream down his face like endless rain.

After a few more attempts, Peter gave up trying to wipe away his tears, settling with covering his eyes with his arm. He continued to weep silently to himself, feeling even more homesick as he whisphered, "I want to go home…"

Suddenly, Peter felt a jerking movement, which snapped him back into reality. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked out the window to see what had happened. Poking his head out of window, he felt a strong gust of wind that almost blew him out of the ship. He quickly retreated to the safety of his room before the wind could blow him into the dark seawater below, breathing a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he realized that the ship's swaying movements had stopped.

The thudding of footsteps past his door was growing more rapid and persistent with each passing moment. Standing up from his bed, he began to cautiously walk towards the door. When he reached the door, Peter leaned his ear against it, listening attentively to the thud of sailors as they ran down the hall.

"Come up here already, you blokes!" shouted one voice from nearby. Rapid footsteps were soon heard from the end of hall coming towards Peter's room. "But what about the treasure room?!" shouted a child's voice, desperately from the other end of the hall. More, faster thudding was hear. "At this point, we can only help the guys on the upper deck defend the entrance before anyone could reach that room, anyway!" shouted another as he ran past Peter's door. Soon, all thudding has passed Peter's door. When he was sure that it was over, he slowly opened the door a crack and peered out to be sure that no one was still in the hall.

_Good! No one's out there! _Peter thought. His mind began to race. He cautiously opened the door a little wider. When he saw that the hall was indeed devoid of people, he threw the door wide open and began running down the almost torch-less hall. _This is going to be fun! _He thought, smiling excitedly as he continued deeper down the passageway.

The sound of shouting and the clanging of sword above gradually grew louder, as Peter ran further away from the entrance. Loud thuds heard from above became more frequent as time flew. The hallway gradually grew darker and quieter as Peter continued to run deeper into the dark hallway. He was starting to shiver at the silence.

When he finally reached the end of the hall, Peter noticed that the lamp above the doctor's room was not lit as it had the night before, making the hallway appear even darker and more unwelcoming. The silence certainly didn't help decrease Peter's feeling of dread. He cautiously walked past the equally dark and silent staircase, turning right.

Light shone through the slit beneath the door. However, in contrast to the previous night, there was the same disturbing silence in the room as in the halls outside, adding to Peter's trepidation. When Peter reached for the door's golden round knob, he gulped in fear as he recalled what the voice had said the night before. _I would go back to my room if I were you. It would not be pleasant if you were to be caught. _The warning began to echo in his mind. He shook his head to clear the thought away._It's fine! _Peter thought stubbornly and full of determination. _There's no one in there! I can't get caught!_

Once he turned the knob and open the door, Peter stared wide eye at the horror of the scene that unfolded before him. The room was brightly lit by a small candle lamp placed on a small table at the center of the room. The candle's yellow-orange light illuminated scarlet splatters of blood all over the wooden wall. Bloodied swords were scattered around the room. The stench of blood hit Peter along with a wave of nausea.

Peter slowly backed away from the room, filled with shock and disbelief. _It can't be! It can't be! _Peter thought as he continued to back away. Memories of the last few days began flashing through his head. The large man wearing the tan Spanish cape. His aunt's secretive actions. _It must be a dream! It just has to be! There's no way this could be true! _Peter thought shaking his head in denial_._

The sounds of laughter and sword slashing from the night before began to echo in his mind. Soon, the image of a man with a scarred left eye appeared to Peter. He was laughingmaniacally as he slashed his sword at the victims lined up in rows in front of Peter. Blood sprayed everywhere as more and more victims fell before Peter's eyes while the man continued his mad slaughter, cutting his way towards Peter. All Peter could hear was the agonizing screams of the people falling one by one in front of him. The man's manic laughter continued as he was slashed through the wall of victims towards Peter. All Peter could do was stare in helplessly, in terror, as more and more bodies fell to floor in front of him. Fallen to his knees, tears began rolling down Peter's cheeks as the man slaughtered the final victim in front of Peter. The savage man then walked silently towards him raising his sword in preparation for the final kill. There was only one thought echoing in Peter's mind as he heard the man's laughter resume with a swing of a sword._He's going to kill me!_

Suddenly, the sound of slow footsteps approaching Peter, snapped him back into reality. Down on his knees with tears rolling down his eyes, he turned towards the sound. He saw the silhouette of a man wearing a large hat deliberately walking towards him. Behind the man, Peter notice that the hall was now well lit with orange-red torch light. Panicked, Peter huddled his head between his quivering knees, trying to create a barrier between the man and himself.

The man came to a stop in front of Peter. Peter slowly looked up at the man towering over him. Even in the dark, he could make out the golden crisscross patterns that lined the scarlet jacket the man was wearing. Hidden underneath the jacket strapped to a black belt was a long silver sword. Wondering why the man didn't attack him, Peter examined the man's expression, in the hope of finding out what he was thinking. But, the man's face remained shrouded in the shadow of a large scarlet hat with a feather. The only thing that Peter could make out was the man's mouth, which was opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

The sudden sound of rapid footsteps and screams was heard from down the hall, causing the man to click his tongue in annoyance. Before Peter could say a word, the man grabbed Peter by his wrist with one of his gloved hands. He then began ran towards the approaching footsteps, which grew louder as three sailors came charging at the two with their swords unsheathed.

The man came to a sudden halt, which gave Peter a chance to catch his breath and analyze the situation. Peter could vaguely make out the hostile expressions on the sailors' face as they rushed at the two of them. The man let go of Peter's wrist charged straight at the sailors.

When the man got close to the sailors, he reached for the sword beneath his jacket. In a blink of an eye, he unsheathed and skillfully swung it as he rushed through the line of sailors. By the time he had sheathed his sword again, the opponents had all collapsed to the ground but there was no sign of bloodshed. The man immediately took hold of Peter's wrist once more and continued running towards the stairs to the upper deck. As the man led him up the stairs, Peter, still dazed from what he had witnessed, whispered beneath his breath, "Just who are you?"

The man suddenly stopped. The man let go of his hand before slowly turning towards him. The torch's flame at the top of stairs illuminated the man's face r. It first revealed a black eye-patch covering one eye then striking green-coloured eye that looked to be filled with emotion. Peter was astonished to see a smile on the man's face. It was a small and bittersweet one. The man softly announced, "I am Arthur, Arthur Kirkland."

**Author notes**: I've finally finished with my edits! Sorry, it took so long. I've been having trouble starting my editing process. Also, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. I've written the 2 more chapter for this arc but I'm still waiting to hear back from one of my editors. Huge thanks to Wendy Ryan, my sister and my high school teacher for helping me edit these parts. The story wouldn't have been as good as it is without their help. I'm hoping that I can stay confident and motivated to continue this project. I've been low on both of those lately but I hope I'll be able to persevere through this story and it's counterpart.

For those of you who don't know, this story is going to be a crossover series between the sequel to the hamlet epilogue I've written but since the characters have not appear yet, I'm not going to put it as a crossover yet. This way, I won't get any Hamlet's fans hope up. I'll change it once the characters comes into the scene though. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these chapters and will continue to support me through this. Thanks for reading!


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